Source Control Basics

Kateryna Sasnyk
September, 2014

What is source control?

Managing changes to information (documents,
software code, websites, etc.)
Optional names:
Revision Control
Version Control
SCM (software configuration/source code
management)

Models of source control (1)

Local-only approach
All developers must use the same file system.

Models of source control (2)

Distributed model
Developers make synchronization by exchanging
patches (sets of changes) between their local
repositories without any predefined central repository.

Models of source control (3)

Client-server model
Developers use a shared single repository located on
the server.

Source control tools: main features

Regardless of which source control tool you use, it
is likely that it provides some or all of the
following basic features:
It provides a place to store your source code.
It provides a historical record of what you have
done over time.
It can provide a way for developers to work on
separate tasks in parallel, merging their efforts
later.
It can provide a way for developers to work
together without getting in each others' way.

Source control software

Local-only: PVCS, QVCS, RCS, SCCS
Distributed: Monotone, Codeville, Bazaar, Git,
Mercurial, etc.
Client-server: CVS, Subversion, TFS, ClearCase,
VSS, Perforce, Adobe RoboHelp Server, etc.

Basic terminology: repository

Repository is a central place where data is
stored and maintained.

Basic terminology: working copy

Working copy (working folder) is the copy of
files from a repository. This is your local
sandbox where your work on the versioned
files. Normally, it resides on your local hard
disk.

Basic terminology: update

Update to receive all the changes from the
repository (made by other people, for example)
into the local folder.
All the files in our working folder which have
been changed and committed to the repository
will be updated with their newer versions.

Basic terminology: add, commit

Add to specify files or folders
on your desktop machine which
will be added to the working
copy.
Commit (checkin, ci) to
send local changes from
the working copy to the
repository.

Basic terminology: lock/unlock

Lock to prevent other people
from modifying the file that you
are working on.
Revert to undo all of your
changes to the file taken from
the repository.

File locking: pro and contra

File locking has both merits and drawbacks.
It can provide some protection against difficult
merge conflicts.
However, if the files are left
locked for too long, other
employees may be tempted to
bypass the revision control
software and change the files
locally, leading to more serious
problems.

Basic terminology: history

History to show the history of changes to a
file or directory within the repository.

Basic terminology: conflict

Conflicts arise if:
Several people have simultaneously edited the
same file, and then try to commit their changes.
You have changed the local copy of the file that is
not current on the repository.
Ways out:
Revert your changes, update your local copy with
the latest changes from the repository, and then
reapply your changes.
Override changes on the repository with your
changes

Quiz: guess source control model

Further readings
Visual Guide to Version Control at:
http://betterexplained.com/articles/a-visualguide-to-version-control/
Source Control HOWTO by Eric Sink at:
http://www.ericsink.com/scm/source_control.h
tml
Article about Version Control Systems at:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/1
8/the-top-7-open-source-version-controlsystems/